Updated designs showing a new High Falls overlook will be released next week as officials prepare to start construction on the state park this fall.
The first phase of the planned park will be a renovation of High Falls Terrace Park. Located just south of the Genesee Brew House, that park currently features a small concrete overlook on the eastern edge of the falls. A new overlook near the Pont de Rennes pedestrian bridge could be added, providing a panoramic view of the falls. Plans also include a new children’s play area, adding restrooms and starting work on trails and roads that will connect into the rest of the proposed park.
The project is expected to be completed by fall 2027.
“This being the first phase it doesn't complete all the connectivity, but it does give us a beginning,” said Arthur Briley, director of operational programs for the New York state Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. “We've got the brewery trail and, of course, the Pont de Rennes. The design within the Terrace Park, it's a small footprint, but that will start to increase that north, south, east, west connectivity from the city, bringing people over into the park itself.”
The state plans to host an open house event on May 5 at the Genesee Brew House, where it will share more detailed plans and renderings for the park.
An earlier renovation of the park and Brewery Line Trail was completed in 2023, as part of the state-backed ROC the Riverway development initiative. That series of capital projects was meant to build a seamless series of parks, trails, and buildings along the banks of the Genesee River. That work also included the Roc City Skatepark, the riverfront promenade off Court Street, and improvements to the Joseph A. Floreano Riverside Convention Center. But the connections through downtown is disjointed. There are currently no true connections to High Falls Terrace Park from either the north or south.
High Falls Terrace is planned to be the southeastern tip of High Falls State Park, with a trail system reaching northbound to a planned Evergreen Park near the intersection of Scrantom and St Paul streets. It will be one of the few parts of the park that will be at falls-level, with the vast majority to be located in the gorge. Plans for the park include hiking trails and roads that will connect down into the gorge.
"I think it's going to energize the whole area that was envisioned in ROC the Riverway, and we're going to take that 40 acres (down in the gorge) and reclaim it from that former industrial use and give it back to the people,” Briley said. “To enjoy having that little oasis of nature right in the middle of the city with the picturesque view of High Falls in the background.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced plans for High Falls State Park in 2022. Her budget proposal this year earmarks $75 million for the development of the park.
A massive environmental cleanup within the gorge began on the west riverbank in 2023. That site was formerly the site of a gas manufacturing plant, where petroleum products were converted into gas for heating and cooking, and the Beebee Station coal and oil-fired power plant. Cleanup on the east side of the river is expected to be put out for bid next year.
Vinnie Esposito is Senior Vice President for Regional Economic Development at Empire State Development. He said that the development of High Falls State Park is the culmination of the work done in ROC the Riverway.
“The community has made it clear they want to preserve that space, but I do think there will be economic benefit for the city, particularly in the areas around the gorge, as High Falls State Park continues to come online and attract both residents and visitors to come down to that part of the city that maybe they haven't in a very long time,” Esposito said.
Planned features within the state park would pay homage to the industrial history, including “Incinerator Plaza” and “Beebee Station Walk.”
